Wednesday's Links to Writing & Marketing Blog Posts

MUSIC IN WRITING: PART THREE—USING MUSIC TO LAYER CHARACTERS

By: Mia Botha

In my two previous posts I discussed how to use music to strengthen your writing. Today, I want to talk about layering characters.

I try to make a playlist for each of my characters. This list is not something I will necessarily use in my novel, but it helps me to get a better sense of my character. The music we listen to reveals a lot about us. A classic music enthusiast, a hard core metal fan and country music lover – each one of these people created a different image in your mind. They are all unique. I like to choose a theme song for each of my characters.

My antagonist at one time listened to Chesney Hawkes “The one and only” over and over again before he had a big meeting. Can’t you just see him standing there singing to himself in the mirror? How much do you already know about him? Arrogant, but insecure. Old-school, but still thinks he is young and with it. You can be sure he has some “Eye of the Tiger” going in his office. Lots of air punching. 

My protagonist loved the song “It’s oh so quiet” by Bjork. Quirky songs for quirky girls. She was romantic, but often disappointed by the unrealistic expectations she had of a picture perfect romance. She was also rather erratic, just like the song.

Is your character a Taylor Swift fan? Does he dance to the Macarena in secret? What song puts them in a good mood on a crappy Monday morning? What song makes them turn up the volume and what song makes them turn off the radio? These layers will filter through into our stories.   

How do I do this? 

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Read the full article HERE!

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If you missed my writing & marketing tweets and retweets yesterday, here they are again:

• Fiction University: Creating An Author Business Plan: Setting Your Goals http://ow.ly/OYMuI
• Ksenia Anske Books/Blog/20 things I learned from writing full-time for 3 years http://ow.ly/OYMEe
• QueryTracker Blog: The Rule of Three http://ow.ly/OYMHO
• Music In Writing: Part Three – Using Music To Layer Characters - Writers Write http://ow.ly/OYN1f
• 10 Meaningful Practices for Every Writer | WritersDigest.com http://ow.ly/OYN4W
• Writers hear the same question: What else you got? - Venture Galleries http://ow.ly/OYNaR
• Pre-promotion or not? | The Passive Voice | http://ow.ly/OYNhF
• Author, Jody Hedlund: 5 Ways Writers Get Lazy http://ow.ly/OYNux
• Making the Leap from Blogger to Book Author — The Book Designer http://ow.ly/OYNG0
• When You’re Stuck in the Writing Process, Do This. http://ow.ly/OYNMw
• Writers On The Move: Setting: It's Not Just Background http://ow.ly/OYNUe
• Planning a Book Release Party | WordServe Water Cooler http://ow.ly/OYO45
• How to Use LinkedIn Publisher Statistics to Refine Your Marketing Social Media Examiner http://ow.ly/OYO8d
• Barbecue vs. Barbeque http://ow.ly/OYWk5 Daily Writing Tips
• Seriously Write: What To Do When Your Manuscript Is Stuck by Vannetta Chapman http://ow.ly/OYWqY

Happy writing and running, Kathy

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